Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooperation system and a cooperation method, and more particularly to a cooperation system including a portable information device and an image processing apparatus capable of communicating with the portable information device, and a cooperation method performed in the cooperation system.
Description of the Related Art
There is a technique for transmitting data from a portable information device to a Multi Function Peripheral (MFP). For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2014-013618 describes a portable terminal including a communication unit for communicating with an MFP and a data storage unit for storing data to be transmitted/received to/from the MFP. The MFP includes a LAN communication unit and a Bluetooth communication unit for communicating with the portable terminal, a connection mode determination unit for determining a mode of connection with the portable terminal, and a data processing unit for processing data to be transmitted/received to/from the portable terminal based on the determined connection mode.
According to the technique described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-013618, however, when the portable terminal and the MFP are connected, the user has to decide which to use of communication through the LAN communication unit and communication through the Bluetooth communication unit. The operation for allowing the portable terminal to communicate with the MFP is thus cumbersome.
Portable information devices typified by smartphones have a function of communicating through a short-range wireless communication system called NFC (Near Field Communication). A smartphone is brought closer to an MFP supporting NFC to allow the portable information device to communicate with the MFP through the NFC system and establish a communication path between the portable information device and the MFP through a different communication system such as a wireless LAN. This technique is called handover. Once a communication path is established between the portable information device and the MFP, the portable information device can remotely control the MFP.
However, in order to confirm whether the instruction input to the portable information device has been transmitted to the MFP and executed, a reply from the MFP has to be displayed on the portable information device, or the operation of the MFP has to be checked. The operation is thus cumbersome.